Apple's Fall Release Rumored To Include Largest iPhone Ever Produced

Long Story Short

The latest Apple rumors confirm some long-held suspicions and add a new wrinkle: an updated iPhone X, a lower-priced model with similar features and a redesign of the "Plus" line that could be the largest phone Apple's ever produced.

Long Story

The introduction of the iPhone X last fall should have been a watershed moment for Apple (it was the iPhone's 10th anniversary, after all), but was more like a wet fart: while no one would accuse them of doing poorly, new phone sales still failed to reach projections in Q4 2017. While the company is far from struggling, the lagging sales seemed to confirm what anecdotes suggested: the iPhone X was nice, but not nice enough to justify the the $1,000 price tag. The iPhone 8, on the other hand, didn't offer enough upgrades to justify buying it at all.

But if there's one thing that's true of being the richest company on Earth, it's that you can't rest on your laurels when your bread isn't getting buttered. To that end, a recent Bloomberg report suggests that Apple will come out with guns blazing this fall, offering three completely new phone models.

We've heard these rumors before. Repeatedly. in fact — 2018 will bring an upgraded iPhone X, a lower-priced model and... something else. The only difference now is that, if the Bloomberg report is to be believed, we have an idea of what that "something else" is: a gargantuan friggin' iPhone with a 6.5" screen that even Apple will be forced to refer to as a "phablet."

While a 6.5" screen would make it one of the biggest smartphones on the market (let alone ever produced by Apple) the overall handset size will be kept in check with the same tech that gave the iPhone X a large screen in a small package — an edge-to-edge screen with no home button. The final product is said to be about the same size as the current iPhone 8 Plus, and it's also rumored to have two SIM cards. That's a big plus for people who travel a lot.

That's good news for people who need that kind of functionality, but there's still hope for people who don't feel the need to walk around with a small TV in their pocket. The iPhone X will get some internal upgrades, though not much else. There's no word on pricing for any of the 2018 models, at least not yet.

More promising is the rumored introduction of a cheaper phone. The problem with the fall 2017 launch was that people were given two options: a sleek, all-new phone that many couldn't afford, or a very un-sleek phone that was materially the same as the one they already owned, but still cost more money. It was not an ideal choice, hence the flagging sales.

But according to this report, the third iPhone will retain the features people like about the iPhone X (edge-to-edge screen, FaceID) while dispensing with some of the more expensive details (OLED screen, stainless steel frame). This model is instead rumored to opt for a traditional LCD screen and the aluminum frame found on other iPhones.

Again, no pricing information is available yet, but if this newer, cheaper iPhone is actually affordable, I smell a hit.

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Ask The Big Question

How big is too big when it comes to the phones we carry in our pockets and purses?

Drop This Fact

This is not Apple's first attempt at a cheaper, supplemental iPhone: the iPhone 5c had a polycarbonate case, came in bright colors and more or less matched the iPhone 5 in performance. It was quietly phased out when people realized they could get the better, sturdier iPhone 5s for just $100 more.